Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc joined the Vietjet's ribbon cutting ceremony on May 12. — VNS Photo

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Hai Phong is not only an important aviation gateway but also an industrial centre and the largest port in the north.

The city has made a name for itself as an economic, cultural and commercial hub of the northern coastal region.

In addition, the city has great potential for tourism development owing to the recognition of an area on the Cat Ba Islands as a UNESCO biosphere reserve, the beautiful beaches and the resorts.

With the recent inauguration of the Cat Bi International Airport, local authorities expect the city will maximize its potential and develop further.

In his speech at the airport's opening ceremony on May 12, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hoped Cat Bi International Airport would reduce some of the pressure on Noi Bai Airport and facilitate the travel of passengers in the northern coastal region.

Recognised as an international airport, Cat Bi Airport aims to receive four million domestic and international passengers each year.

To celebrate the airport's inauguration, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines flew the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the HCM City-Hai Phong City route.

Vietjet - considered Viet Nam's first new-age airline - also launched three new domestic routes linking Hai Phong with Phu Quoc, Da Lat and Buon Ma Thuot.

Thanks to these new routes and other flights from HCM City, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Pleiku, Vietjet has become the largest carrier to the port city of Hai Phong with 210 flights a week.

Passengers receive gifts in a Vietjet flight. — VNS Photo

Some aviation experts are surprised with Vietjet's decision to open these routes because the destinations - Phu Quoc, Da Lat and Buon Ma Thuot - are not populous localities. They predict the airline may have to cope with limited passenger and cargo transportation capacity.

But Vietjet have a different perspective, according to which top priority should be given to creating more chances for the local people to travel by air and more trade and tourism opportunities in the three localities should be generated.

The airline is confident it will be get the support of passengers who do not have to pay a lot of money on airfares but can experience quality services and interesting in-flight entertainment activities.

According to Vietjet, the three destinations have their-own character. Da Lat is known as City of Flowers, Phu Quoc is considered the Pearl Island of Viet Nam and Pleiku is a popular mountainous town in the Central Highlands region.

Now, travelling to these interesting destinations is not an out-of-reach dream with Vietjet's new routes for which discounted airfares will be available.

A two-hour flight will bring people from Hai Phong City to Dat Lat where they can gaze at the beauty of the phuong tim (Jacaradanda), a flower seen along the roads near Cu Hill and Xuan Huong Lake.

People in the Central Highlands region can taste the salty smell of the wind that blows from the northeastern sea, while tourists from the western sea will reach Hai Phong City in just a few hours where they can spend their time at the UNESCO sea reservation area.

"What we have done over the past few years is to change the awareness and the habits of Vietnamese in using transportation besides promoting the development of Viet Nam's aviation market," a Vietjet representative said.—VNS